The keynote speaker is national economist Bill Conerly. Hopefully Mr Conerly can help us connect the dots between government, business, market conditions and our pocket books so that when it’s all said & done we’ll have a better understanding of

“What Condition My Condition is In”

Seriously, this will be a good opportunity to connect with an authority on economic forecasting. In the words of The Bellingham Chamber of Commerce “In these times of uncertainty, businesses benefit from insightful forecasting leading to careful planning”. We can all benefit from the message – hope to see you there.

Seating is limited so be sure to reserve your seat as the meeting will fill up quickly.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Bellingham Real Estate Home Loan Rates

It’s that time again, time to update you on the latest in home loan and mortagage rates. If you are in the market for a home loan below are the mortgage rates as of today Feb. 1st 2012, courtesy of Sidney Stonecypher at People’s Bank Barkley Branch here in Bellingham.

To view homes or property for sale visit our Bellingham Real Estate Search Page. For more details, or a custom home loan quote, contact Sidney Stonecypher at People’s Bank, 360-676-4597 or sidney.stonecypher@peoplesbank-wa.com. Remember that many variables come into play in determining the rate a lender will give a borrower. If you are getting a rate quote from a lender who does not have all your information, that rate may not be real. What with the low rates, it is still a great time to buy a house!

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

BP (British Petroleum) Cherry Point is located between Ferndale and Blaine, Washington, on the waters of the Puget Sound on over 3,300 acres of land.

BP Cherry Point employs approximately 850 employees including welders, machinists, human resource support and many positions in between. The refinery also brings in many local contractors to work new projects and facility maintenance as well as providing an influential resource for employment in Bellingham and around Whatcom County.

Built in 1971, BP Cherry Point is one of the newer fuel refining facilities in the United States and includes a new 90,000 square foot maintenance building built in 2010.  It is in the process of building a new state of the art diesel refining unit. BP Cherry Point refines crude oil into several different forms, including gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, propane, butane, calcined coke and sulphur.  British Petroleum Cherry Point supplies 20% of Washington State’s gasoline needs and is the largest supplier of jet fuels to Sea Tac International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and the US Military.

Employees of BP Cherry Point are offered competitive industry wages and generous benefit packages, and are provided with a safe and secure workplace. If you would like to see a list of current positions open at BP visit their career openings page.

If you are seeking employment at the BP Cherry Point Facility or are looking to transfer positions to the Cherry Point facility, we would be happy to provide you with an information and relocation package on the communities around BP Cherry Point.

Request your FREE Personalized Bellingham and Whatcom County Relocation Package
Courtesy of The Johnson Team Real Estate.

 In your personalized relocation package you will learn about the cities of Ferndale and Bellingham, statistics on area schools, art and cultural events, and local community and neighborhood information. If while waiting for you package to arrive you would like to further explore Whatcom County, feel free to visit the community virtual tours we offer on our website that give you a front seat tour around the sites and events of Bellingham and Whatcom County.

The cities and neighborhoods near BP Cherry Point provide a variety of real estate options from luxury and waterfront real estate, to more modest subdivisions:  there is something for everyone in the area. The closest major city to BP Cherry Point is Ferndale, followed by Birch Bay and the gated communities of Semiahmoo and Birch Bay Village. To get an idea of real estate available in the are,a visit the Bellingham and Whatcom County Real Estate search to look for homes or property specific to your needs.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Lylene,
The van was just the right size to haul the scrap metal to the recyclers in
one trip.
I raised $5600.00 for the Spark Museum from the scrap I collected from my
radio antenna replacement project at work.

The “Spark Museum”, in case you didn’t know, is the new name for the former American Museum of Radio and Electricity, located at 1312 Bay St.  If you haven’t ever visited them, you have missed a real treat.  It is full of fascinating, interactive displays – great for kids as well as adults  – and even houses a radio station.   

Remember The Johnson Team Moving Truck is available FREE to local community non profit organizations and our clients. To schedule the truck call (360) 303-2734

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

- Go out in your yard and collect any loose items that may blow away in a storm. Lawn chairs, lawn ornaments and even trampolines are example of items that tend to take flight in storms.

-Check out your fencing around your home that might need repair to assure the wind does not further damage it and potentially let your pets out of the yard.

- Be sure to check for loose or missing shingles on your roof or chimney flue caps which may have become loose. Damaged or loose flues can allow deadly carbon monoxide to enter a home.

-Be sure to have trees and branches trimmed back from your home to prevent damage when wind may batter them around.

-Have at least a 72 hour supply of food, water, flashlights, batteries, medicine & etc in case of power outages & the potential inability to leave your home due to blocked roads or other issues.

-Check your windows for cracks that may leave your windows vulnerable during a storm. If a window has a small crack it can sometimes spread in extreme winds causing it to shatter.

- After a storm be sure and remove debris from yard as this can attract insects and lead to problems in and around your home.

Hope everyone stays safe and warm in tonight’s windstorm!

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Unofficially, you can go just  outside the ski area’s boundaries to sled down the hills around the frozen lakes of Highwood Lake and Picture Lake. The area around Bagley Lake also is great area to check out.   That being said be sure and pay attention on warm days or years when there is little snow fall to be sure the lakes are frozen solid and ready for sledding. We were up this weekend and the conditions were PERFECT for family friendly sledding.

Directions:Go east on state route 542 until you reach the Mt. Baker Ski Area. Park in the upper parking lot. Look for people carrying sleds or big tire tubes. You will find the lakes on your right hand side over the large snow banks. Little trails will be built in the snow bank to allow children and families to get up and over the banks and into the sledding area.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Bellingham Real Estate Home Loan Rates

It’s that time again, time to update you on the latest in home loan and mortagage rates. If you are in the market for a home loan below are the mortgage rates as of today January 18th 2011, courtesy of Sidney Stonecypher at People’s Bank.

To view homes or property for sale visit our Bellingham Real Estate Search Page. For more details, or a custom home loan quote, contact Sidney Stonecypher at People’s Bank, 360-676-4597 or sidney.stonecypher@peoplesbank-wa.com. Remember that many variables come into play in determining the rate a lender will give a borrower. If you are getting a rate quote from a lender who does not have all your information, that rate may not be real. What with the low rates, it is still a great time to buy a house!

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

Below are some tips to help you drive safely courtesy of AAA:

Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying the gas slowly to accelerate is the best method for regaining traction and avoiding skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry. And take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.

• Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – nothing happens as quickly as on dry pavement. Give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
• The normal dry pavement following distance of three to four seconds should be increased to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
• Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, the best way to stop is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
• Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed down hill as slowly as possible.
• Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.
• Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in the snow, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate: If you don’t have somewhere you have to be, watch the snow from indoors.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!

This is pretty typical for the December fishery but as we get to the latter part of January expect the reports to heat up. Alden Bank outside sandy point was hot January 25 to 30th last year. The Reel Estate boat landed 25 salmon in 3 trips so if you are looking for the current report, make sure to call the hotline and see if the fish are in. 360-303-2734

The Roche Harbor Salmon Classic Invitational is February 2-4, 2012 and The Johnson Team 2902 Trophy will be at the cannon start ready to go at 7am sharp.

If you would like to be entered to win a fresh salmon fillet from the derby courtesy of The Johnson Team Real Estate tex the word JohnsonTeam to 22828 to be entered to win!

 *Winners must be able to pick up fillet in Bellingham.

For more information on Bellingham Real Estate or to search for homes in the Bellingham and Whatcom County area visit www.JohnsonTeamRealEstate.com, your one stop Bellingham real estate and community information resource!